I love Taco Casa! We have those in Birmingham too. They still have a "Taco Burger," much like Taco Bell's old "Bell Beefer."

~U2Alabama

I will say this about Tuscaloosa: better barbecue.

There used to be a "Red's Backyard BBQ" en route to Opelika, and it was amazing. For some odd reason though, it went out of business; perhaps there were simply too many other restaurants between it and the students.

Now, there's Country's Barbecue (decent, but not great), and a slew of local barbecue establishments. The problem with the local establishments is that - as good as they may be - they refuse to offer anything but mustard-based sauces.

Compared to the glory of a molasses- or tomato-based sauce, mustard-based barbecue sauce simply isn't that good...

...and I have it on good authority that Tuscaloosa has really good barbecue.

Of course, this entire discussion ignores the all-important burger, and I submit for your consideration: MILO'S.

I've decided that Milo's actually doesn't have the best burgers on Earth (an honor reserved for McGuire's in Pensacola), but it easily has the most ADDICTIVE.

McGuire's has the chardonney of burgerdom.

Milo's has the heroin.

__________________DISCLAIMER: The author of the preceding is known
for engaing in very long discussions.

Regarding Tuscaloosa barbecue, there is one word known all over the Southeastern Conference: Dreamland. It is the original location, an aged building in a bad part of town.

Is Byron's Barbecue still in Auburn? I went there a few times in the mid-90s; I enjoyed it greatly. Country's is good, but it is a (local) chain restaurant that I usually have enough of whenever I am in Montgomery, Troy or Dothan. One thing I like about Country's is the different "hotness" levels of there sauce, white being the hottest (and my usual choice). I think my favorite restaurant (non-barbecue) in Auburn is Amsterdam's on Gay Street, though my wife prefers Traditions at Toomer's Corner.

Milo's is indeed addictive; they put one in the food court in the building where I work and I have a hard time avoiding it. Isn't it a shame they closed/converted the one in Auburn? I heard a rumor that the franchisee wanted to sell beer, and that is why he changed it to his own place.

Next time you are in Birmingham, I would suggest you try Harry's Place in Riverchase, or Hamburger Heaven in Brook Highland or Irondale.

I will have to try this McGuire's the next time I am in the 2nd oldest city.

I'm unfamiliar with Byron's. If it's still there, I missed it completely, but I will try to look for it next time on the Plains. (Less than a month away - wahoo!)

Though it's not strictly a local restaurant, my favorite in Auburn is the Mellow 'Shroom. They never cease to amaze me in their capacity to consistantly produce perfect pizzas. There's a nicer, newer one in Montgomery, and I've heard Tuscaloosa has a large 'Shroom, but I think the cramped atmosphere at Auburn's Shroom actually helps.

In terms of strictly local eateries, I recommend Momma Goldberg's; don't judge the sandwich by the shack. And Provino's, just past the mall, is an excellent, albeit expensive, ristorante italiano.

The rumor about the Auburn Milo's appears to be true. I actually talked to the manager when I found out it was closing. He said that he wanted to offer chicken fingers (which Milo's offered anyway in a year or so), but the neon signs tell a different story. He wanted to sell beer, the Milo's franchiseers refused, and he walked out on the franchise...

...to his detriment. Fact is, hardly anyone gets that close to campus after hours to procure alcohol; those who do already have Momma G's, Rooster's, and the Blue Room. I refused to eat at the new place (in protest!) but its reputation was, simply, mediocre food in an atmosphere not conducive to beer-drinking. It was no Milo's. It didn't have the sauce, didn't get the customers, didn't pay the rent.

The REALLY sad thing is, last time I noticed (mid-June), the place is STILL empty. The rent must be outrageous. I would love to see Milo's return to the same spot, but my roommate and I know what would do even better:

Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme.

There's very little real competition in all of Auburn. It would be right next to the Auburn ENGINEERS, and it could profit from school-day mornings, late-night engineering projects, conference catering, sorority fundraising, and tailgating.

If only we ran the world...

Yeah, I haven't seen a Denny's in the South for years. My theory is that, like Shoney's, they couldn't compete with the two giants of Southern breakfasts:

Cracker Barrel for "fancy cookin'." Waffle House for cheap and fast.

And McGuire's is fricking awesome. I kid you not.

__________________DISCLAIMER: The author of the preceding is known
for engaing in very long discussions.

Originally posted by Achtung Bubba Though it's not strictly a local restaurant, my favorite in Auburn is the Mellow 'Shroom. They never cease to amaze me in their capacity to consistantly produce perfect pizzas. There's a nicer, newer one in Montgomery, and I've heard Tuscaloosa has a large 'Shroom, but I think the cramped atmosphere at Auburn's Shroom actually helps...

A friend of mine (who attended Auburn, actually) recently opened a Mellow Mushroom here in Birmingham; my wife and I dined there Saturday night (very good pizza indeed). But it is more wide-open inside and not as "intimate" as the one in Auburn. The one in Tuuscaloosa is a cool location: Downtown, at the end of University Boulevard in a historic, 2-story converted building, it has outdoor balcony seating over the sidewalks and great views all around.

Quote:

...The REALLY sad thing is, last time I noticed (mid-June), the place is STILL empty. The rent must be outrageous. I would love to see Milo's return to the same spot, but my roommate and I know what would do even better:

Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme....

Either of those would be perfect, as would a Krystal, because they would keep drunk students from DUI'ing off campus to Opelika for late might munchies. The same goes for the old Krystal location in Tuscaloosa - right in the middle of The Strip, between Fraternity Row and the bars, on "the walk home." Now Krystal and Waffle House are 5 miles away on McFarland Boulevard, and a popular place for cops to target DUIs.

Quote:

...Cracker Barrel for "fancy cookin'." Waffle House for cheap and fast.

And both pleasing in their own way, although the local Waffle Houses have recently switched to the more limited menu that the Florida locations use. They will still take special orders for old favorites though.